HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Smoky Valley basketball teams got huge scoring nights from Kenzley Haxton on the girls side and Kristian Ryan in the boys game, helping the Vikings to a road sweep of the Trinity Catholic Celtics.
Girls-Smoky Valley 61, Trinity Catholic 30– Smoky Valley broke out to a 23-3 lead after one quarter, capped by a three-pointer by Kenzley Haxton late as she scored 10 points in the opening frame. It was a sign of things to come for Haxton as she would go on to have a career high 26 points in the 31-point win. The Vikings held a 31-9 lead at halftime and stretched it to 24 at home point in the third quarter before a 9-0 run from the Celtics cut the lead back to 15. Six quick points to end the quarter put Smoky Valley back up by 21 as they pulled away late for the 31-point win.
Haxton was held to just two points in the second quarter, but scored six in each the third and fourth to set the career high and register her first 20 plus point game of her career as well. Also in double figures was Kamryn Ryan with 10 points. Illie DeBaere had another great night from three-point land, connecting on three of five shots beyond the arc. She has made seven threes in the last two games combined. Smoky Valley has now won three straight and four of their last five, moving to 5-7 on the season.
Cienna Maskill was just a point from her career high of 16, finishing with 15 points, scoring nine in the third quarter. The Celtics are now 0-14.
SV – Haxton 26, Ryan 10, DaBaere 9, Dudley 5, Eyer 3, Schrag 3, Flax 2, Whittaker 2, Brown 1
Trinity – Maskil 15, Dowsey 6, E. Cost 2, Guajardo 2, Martin 2, Nelson 2, Paulsrud 1
Boys- Smoky Valley 61, Trinity Catholic 53 – When the Vikings and Celtics met for the first time this season on January 20 in the first round of the Sterling Invitational, Trinity Catholic used a 19-0 run to get a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. They didn’t look back on their way to an 11-point win. The one caveat was Kristian Ryan was missing from the lineup for Smoky Valley. The 6-8 senior was back for the second meeting and made his presence known early and often on his way to a 29-point game. After the Celtics gained a ten-point lead twice in the first quarter, the Vikings regrouped. Ryan scored 10 points in the first quarter, pulling Smoky Valley within four after one. Smoky Valley outscored Trinity Catholic 18-12 in the second quarter for a 32-30 lead at halftime.
Much like the first quarter, Trinity Catholic had a solid start to the second half, going on a 7-0 run to lead 37-32. The Vikings recovered again, as Ryan finished the quarter with two dunks and a three-pointer stretching the lead to 50-43 after three. The lead ballooned to 12 as Smoky Valley capped off a 16-0 run to lead 55-43. The Vikings finished with enough plays down the stretch including a dagger three-pointer from Atticus Pavlovich in the final minutes. Along with Ryan’s 29 points, Ty Heitschmidt was in double figures again with 14 despite some early foul trouble. Smoky Valley snapped a five-game skid against the Celtics, winning their third straight and moving to 8-4.
The Celtics had three players in double figures, led by freshman guard Lawson Dowsey with a career high 17 points, making four three-pointers. Beau Towell tied his career high with 12 and Alex Guajardo added 11. Trinity Catholic is now 4-10 after the loss.
SV – Ryan 29, Heitschmidt 14, Pavlovich 7, Burgardt 4, Olson 4, Griffith 3
Trinity – Dowsey 17, Towell 12, Guajardo 11, Griffith 5, Kiser 4, R. Guerrero 3, Rios 1
